Carbon Monoxide Home Safety

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CO Alarms do save Lives

7HWhat you can’t see or smell can kill you. Many CO deaths could have been prevented with an alarm.

How is CO dangerous?

CO gas robs your blood of oxygen, slowly (at lower levels) or quickly (at high levels), choking off your air supply.

  • A low-level leak can leave you feeling weak, dizzy, nauseated, with a headache and other aches: a flu-like feeling.
  • A higher-level leak will put you to sleep fast and you won’t wake up.
  • CO gas mainly originates from heating equipment, but can also leak from gas stoves, hot water heaters, fireplaces, gas dryers, barbecue grills, lawn mowers, snow blowers, generators inside the garage (the door doesn’t even have to be shut for a leak to be dangerous), and of course, cars.

CO Alarm Management

  • Before buying, make sure the alarm has the approval label of an independent testing company (e.g., Underwriter’s Laboratory).
  • Alarms should be placed on all levels of your house, including basements and attics.
  • Install the alarm within 10 feet of doors to bedrooms.
  • In plug-in models, the battery life may get shortened from a prolonged power outage; you may need to replace it often. When the power is restored, replace it. A power outage will not affect a battery-only alarm.
  • Depending on make and model, get a new alarm every five to seven years.

Don’t put off purchasing CO alarms if your home lacks them. They’re easy to install, small and inconspicuous, yet can save your family’s life. And in many states, it’s the law.

Robert Siciliano home security expert to Schlage discussing home security and identity theft on TBS Movie and a Makeover. Disclosures. For Roberts FREE ebook text- SECURE Your@emailaddress -to 411247.